Box car door



J. A.4SHAFER 1,885,146

BOX CAR DO0R Original Filed Oct. 1, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 1, .1932.

vweutoz ames J Sfiafiez' 3313' la um 2 7 m D x v i r I WWHH J II 77 2/ Nov. 1, 1932. J. A.'SHAFER 1,885,146

BOX CAR DOOR Original Filed Oct. 1, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet a vention relates single-sheathed box car in common Patented Nov. 1, 1 932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES A. SHAFER, OF EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR '10 NATIONAL MALLEABLE AND STEEL CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, 015110, A CORPORATION' OF OHIO ox GAR DOOR Application filed October 1, 1929, Serial No. 396,483. Renewed June 13, 1932.

scribes a door conslsting of a plurality of $5 metal panels, disposed vertically and connected together by vertical coupling members, the whole being adapted to move along a door track in order to effect the opening and closing of the door. More particularly, my into means for guiding the car door along the said track, and for maintaining it in its proper relation therewith. v

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved freight-car door, as applied to the standard use 5- Fig. 2 is a vertical section along line II-'-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the vertical coupling member by means of which two adjacent panels of the door are coupledtogether; Fig. iis a horizontal-section along line IV-IV ,of Fig; 1; Fig. 5 is aperspective view of my improved door guide; Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the samefFig. 7 is affhorizontal section. on a line such'as VIIVII of Fig. 8, of my improved door guide'inplace on the upper end of'one of the coupling members; Fig. 8is a vertical section, on a line such as VIII-VIII of Fig. '7, of the door guide in place on the coupling member, as'in' Fig. 7. I

The drawings show a box car door opening of the usualconstruction, including side sill 2, Z-bar side plate 3, forward door post4 and rear door post 5. The door track 11 is supported by door track brackets 6, which are mounted on the side sill 2, just below'the door opening support 7. A portionof the car floor is indicated at 8, the threshold plate at 9, and a portion of the siding at 10. The top hood is is supported by the Z-bar side plate 3.

The door is composed of a plurality of panels 13, connected by thevertical coupling members 14. Eachpanel is'supported by its own roller, the housing for which is indicated at 15. This provides a flexible structure, and

one easily assembled on a car,'with a minimum expenditure of time and labor. Y

It is necessary to provide guiding means for engaging the door track 11 and top hood 12,

in order to maintainthe door in its proper position. In the present form of my invention, I prefer to use only door guides-16 fitted on either end of the vertical coupling members 14,thus doing away entirely with guide brackets mounted elsewhere on the door. This construction has the advantage that it allows only a very limited angular displacement of the coupling members, thus preventing them from becoming jammed between the door track .11 and the threshold plate 9. It should be noted that only the forward and rear coupling members 14a and 14d (Fig. 4) are subject to this displacement, the intermediate ones being prevented from assuming such angularity by reason of their position between two door panels. My improved door guide 16 is shown, in detail in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, identical guides being used for either end of the coupling member. The guide preferablyiconsists of a metal casting, having a flange 17, for engaging the door track or top hood, as the case may be, and a shoe portion 18, for receiving the end of the coupling member to which the guide is fitted. The top of the shoe portion 18 is recessed as at 19, to receive the flanges 20 and 21 of the coupling member 14, which are bent over,'as in Fig. 3, after the guide is fitted to the coupling member. When fitted to the coupling member, the under side of the shoe portion 22, rests upon thecentral web 23 of the coupling member, which is coped out to receive it, and to provide for bending overthe flanges 20 and 21, as heretofore explained.

The webs 24:, extending downwardly from the shoe portion of the guide, engage the flared or flat portion of theouter or forward flange 20 of the coupling member, thus providing means for causing a more or less rigid engagement between the guide and coupling member, and preventing lateral or angular displacement of the coupling member with respect to the door track. The rearwardly projecting flanges 25 extend from the under side of the shoe portionalong the edges of the engaged between the edges of walls 26 and lies flush with the forward surfaces thereof.

It is understood of course that the space remaining between the said flange and the flange 17 of the guide constitutes a narrow guideway which engages the door track 11 or top hood 12 as the case may be, when the door is in position on the car.

The door guide is installed by sliding the same onto the coupling member until the central web of the latter abuts the under side of the shoe portion of the guide as already described. The flanges 20 and 21 are then bent inwardly until they lie completely within the depression 19, when their outer surfaces will be flush with the remaining top surface of the shoe portion.

The presence of the door guides on the cou pling members 14 does not interfere with the assembling of the door on the car, and is ad vantageous in that it eliminates the guide brackets heretofore riveted to the panels and the guide flanges cast on the roller housings, thus greatly simplifying the door structure.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanicalequivalents of the features described, or portions thereof,.but recognize that various structural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. 7

What I claim is:

1. A flexible door structure, adapted to move on a track, said door consisting of a plurality of panels connected by coupling members extending the length of the panels, and guide members at an end of said coupling members, and adapted to engage the said track.

2. A flexible door structure, adapted to move on a track, said doorconsisting of a plurality of panels connected by coupling members, and guide members carried by said coupling members, each said guide member 00111- prising a shoe portion adapted to engage the coupling member and form a secure connection therewith, and a flange portion adapted to engage the door track.

3. A door guide consisting of a shoe portion adapted to engage frictionally a portion of the door, and a flange portion extending parallel and adjacent to the forward walls of the said shoe portion, said flange, with said walls, forming a guideway adapted to engage a door track.

4-. The combination of a door panel coupling member comprising an I-beam portion having its central web partially removed, with a door guide consisting of a flange poi tion for engaging a door track and a shoe portion about which the ends of the flanges {if said coupling member are adapted to be cut.

5. The combination of a door panel coupling member, comprising an I-beam portion having its central web removed for a short space adjacent the end thereof, with a door guide having a flange portion to engage a door track and a shoe portion for engaging the end of the said coupling member, said shoe portion comprising a horizontal member about which the ends of the flanges of the said coupling member are bent, and vertical members which engage frictionally the edges and one side of one of said flanges, the other side of said flange being engaged by a rearwardly projecting portion of said track engaging flange.

6. The combination of a door panel coupling member, consisting of a portion of I- beam with its central web removed for a short space adjacent the end thereof, with a door guide having a flange portion to engage a door track and a shoe portion for engaging the end of the said coupling member, said shoe portion comprising a horizontal member recessed on its upper surface to receive the bent over flanges of the said coupling member, vertical members between whose inner edges one of the said flanges of the said coupling member is engaged, and web portions projecting from said vertical members, for providing additional bearing surface for said flange of said coupling member, the opposite flange of said coupling member being engaged by the edge of said horizontal member opposite the said web portions, the under side of said horizontal member providing a bearing surface for the edge of said central web of said coupling member.

7. The method of securing a door guide upon a door, consisting of inserting one of two projecting flanges, formed on a portion of the door, into a guideway formed in the door guide, which guideway frictionally engages the said flange, the other of the two said flanges engaging frictionally a portion of the opposite side of the door guide, and bending the ends of the two said flanges toward each other, so that the door guide is securely embraced by the said flanges.

8. A flexible door structure, adapted to move on a track, said door consisting of a plurality of panels connected by coupling members extending the length of the panels, and guide members mounted on opposite ends of said coupling members and engageable respectively with said track and with a guiding element adjacent said panels.

9. A flexible door structure adapted to move on a track. said door consisting of a plurality of flanged panels together with coupling members of I-beam formation extending the length of the panels and engageable with the flanged portions thereof, and guide members mounted on one end of said coupling members and engageable with said track.

10. -A door guide consisting of a shoe porotion adapted to engage frictionally a portion of the door, and a flange portion extending parallel and adjacent to the forward walls of said shoe portion, said flange with said Walls forming a guideway adapted to engage a door track, and means for securing the guide to the door, said means comprising a portion bent from the door to engage said shoe portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 28th day of September, 1929. I

JAMES A. SHAFER. 

